“Continued and rigid price control is not at all conducive to bring the desired level of investments in the pharma industry and unless this situation is remedied as a matter of priority, it will affect the country’s pharma exports in future,” maintains D B Mody, chairman of Pharmexcil.

Keeping in view the global acceptance of capabilities of Indian pharma industry and commensurate with export opportunities both for products and services, Pharmexcil has envisaged a growth target of 30 per cent per annum. This, however, requires substantial growth of the industry with greater emphasis on research and development. In order to achieve this, more inflow of investments in the sector is necessary, noted Mody while addressing the industry representatives and members of the Council at the first AGM of Pharmexcil held at Hyderabad, this week.

He said that the problems faced by the exporters due to Public Notice No 8 issued by DGFT, under which the exporters are required to submit the stocks and consumption details of imported materials for redemption of advance licenses with retrospective effect, were brought to the notice of those concerned by way of repeated representations and personal meetings. As a result, Pharmexcil is expecting an amendment to Public Notice No 8 making it applicable only prospectively, informed Mody.

Similarly, the problems faced by some of the exporters due to the ban imposed by NAFDAC, Nigeria were promptly attended to by organising a delegation of affected exporters to Nigeria, led by the executive director of the Council. The officials concerned were appraised of the actual position. While the exporters got certain relaxations due to the Council’s efforts, efforts are being made for lifting the ban imposed by NAFDAC.

Mody said that the Council has recently taken up measures to constitute a separate committee for medicinal plants and related value added products, which consists of eminent persons from the industry and academia, to advise the council on the activities to be initiated for the promotion of this particular sector.

He further added that in the coming months, separate committees would be formed for all the categories to help the Pharmaceutical Industry as a whole.

Pharmexcil, Dept. of Commerce and FICCI together are organising a ‘Africa-ASEAN-Caribbean-GIC Pharma & Health Summit’ on December 1 and 2, 2005 at Hyderabad, where ministers, drug regulatory authorities, importers, distributors etc. of about 35 countries are invited. The Council, which has established its Head Office at Hyderabad with effect from January 2005, has so far set up regional offices at Delhi and Mumbai. It has proposed to start two more regional offices at Ahmedabad and Chennai soon, he said.